A fallen prince, two yearning hearts
by Montesquire
Summary: Corrin goes to the edge of death, prompting someone close to him to confess their feelings. A nice love triangle, along with some light Sakura x Leo shipping.
1. Ambush

Corrin's army had survived the onslaught. Wave after wave of enemies had appeared, seeming to materialize out of thin air. Those invisible soldiers hit against their lines, crashing against the might of Ryoma and Xander. Benny and Effie guarded the flanks, and behind the front line lay the mages Nyx, Leo, and Hayato, who along with the archers Niles, Takumi, and Setsuna, lay down harassing fire towards the invisible foe. Once the invisible foe's formation had shattered shock troops swooped in, the two faced berserker Charlotte and the scary faced lancer Oboro fought together, smashing through the weakened enemy line. The archers fired volley after volley at the broken troops, while lightning and ethereal animals chased the survivors.

Azura breathed a sigh of relief. Anankos' forces had surprised them, catching this small group away from the main force. She was afraid they'd be overrun, but now the battle was won. She smiled and looked around the troops, searching for Corrin. After a minute of searching discovered nothing, her heart began to sink. She felt the tendrils of panic begin to form.

"Leo! Where's Corrin?", she asked the dark knight, who was covered in blood of the invisible foe.

"Azura I thought you were with him! He went back to the tunnels to hold off a group that detached from their main force.", Azura saw a heavy look of fear and panic emerge on Leo's face, matching the one she wore. "Damn fool! He has too much confidence in that dragon form of his. Sakura!", he yelled and Sakura's head perked up, she was healing a minor wound on Benny. "Corrin hasn't returned, come with me.", he commanded. He rode his horse over to her and picked her up, placing her behind him. "Oh my goodness!", Sakura said involuntary, both out of surprise of the sudden motion from the dark prince and worry over her brother. "Azura let's go-", Leo looked for Azura, and saw the blue haired songstress already halfway down the tunnels. He scowled, if Corrin hadn't defeated that group yet or if Corrin had fell, then Azura was running to her death. "Damn it!", he whipped his reins and his horse sped into the tunnel, and Sakura held on to Leo for dear life.

The tunnel became narrower and narrower but remained tall, until Leo's horse could barely fit through. He had to dismount, and caught Sakura as she jumped down. The girl blushed at his touch, then she ran to follow him, having to stay right behind him to fit in the tight tunnel.

Leo began passing bodies of the invisible soldiers. Some had cuts from the Yato against them, others looked like an elephant had crushed them. Leo smiled, Corrin had led them into this tight corridor where their numbers were meaningless. He had just discussed this tactic with Corrin during their last study session, and despite his worry was quite proud of his pupil.

The roof had slight damage, two parallel lines scratched into them. It looked like Corrin's dragon form had barely been small enough to fit in this narrow tunnel.  
Leo saw a bright crimson color on one of the invisible soldiers' swords. Leo felt his heart chill, and recognized the weapon. A wyrmslayer. It's curved edged form was designed to break through the hides of wyverns, but it could also work against dragons. He heard gentle crying in the distance.

The tunnel opened up, into a wide room without a roof. It looked abandoned as most things in Valla did, and nature was rapidly reclaiming it. A trail of blood led to the center of the room, where the blue haired songstress was cradling Corrins body.

"I'm so sorry Azura,", a familiar voice said, though the frailty of the usually happy tone shook Leo to his core. "It looks like I wasn't able to change anything after all.".

Leo couldn't move, he knew he should but his feet wouldn't listen to him. A massive gash had torn through Corrin's armor, cutting from his shoulder to the bottom of his ribcage. That was a fatal wound. His brother was going to die.

Sakura ran ahead of Leo, showing unusual bravery. She pulled out her sun festal and closed her eyes, calling forth a silent prayer. She shook the sun festal and the room lit up slightly, as if for a moment a warm summer's light had crept into the world. Corrin's wound closed up, but he had lost so much blood.

Azura's white songstress outfit was dyed red, doused in Corrin's blood. She gently stroked his white blonde hair, and sung a powerful song, not knowing if it would help or not but desperate for anything to work. "You are the ocean's grey waves, destined to-", she stopped and began to openly sob, unable to hold back her tears any longer. Corrin's red eyes were open but they looked blank, not dead but not truly alive.

Leo felt the weight of the world on his back and fell to his knees. Corrin couldn't die. Everyone was counting on him, this entire quest was because of him! They needed him and his Yato to defeat Anankos, and Leo needed him! His friendly sensitive brother, damn it! Leo felt hot tears burning his cheeks and looked up to the cloudy sky, silently pleading with fate.


	2. Aftermath

"Ugh.", Corrin sighed. His eyes slowly opened, and he saw the red roof of his tree house. He smiled, as he did every day he woke up here. It fulfilled a childhood wish of his, looking out from his tower into the dark forest at those dark arching trees, wishing he could touch them. He tried to sit up and was struck with excruciating pain, which jogged his memory. He clenched his bare chest, noticing a giant slash shaped scar across it.

He had messed up. He saw the soldier pull out a wyrmslayer, and he should have changed out of his dragon form. With his Yato he could have parried and dodged his blows, but Corrin was certain that he could hit him before the soldier could get him. He missed. It was such a clear shot, by the unluckiest of chances he missed his target, and the soldier slashed upward, slicing through Corrin's scales like butter.

Of course Corrin didn't miss his second attack, but by then the damage had been done. He remembered transforming back into a human and trying to call for someone, but he was too far away from them. He should of brought someone with him, but he didn't want to weaken the main force. Corrin got cocky, and it almost cost him his life.

He looked around his room and realized he wasn't alone. Jakob and Felicia were sleeping on chairs, and Jakob looked disheveled. Azura was laying against Corrin's bed, and Kaze sat silently in the corner, with his eyes closed. Azura, Felicia, and Jakob all had blankets put over them. Corrin smiled, knowing the ninja wasn't asleep.

"Ka,", he tried to say Kaze, but his voice was surprisingly weak. Kaze's eye's burst open and he ran to Corrin's bedside, not making a sound as he went.

"My liege, I'm so sorry! Please forgive my ineptitude!", Corrin's retainer said.

"What are you talking about?", Corrin said, each word taking strenuous effort.

"I wasn't there when the Vallites attacked, I should have never left your side. If I was there then I could have-", Corrin laughed, interrupting the green haired ninja.

"It was an ambush Kaze, the point is to catch us unprepared. Besides I ordered you to scout the route to Anankos' palace, it was my fault for not anticipating their strike.", Corrin's expression became grim. With each word Corrin felt better, more present. "Did they break through our lines?".

"No. With that Nohrian box strategy they were able to fend them off.", Kaze smirked. "You defeating the second group allowed the formation to stay together, and that Nohrian strategy to succeed. Did you really fight off thirty men by yourself?".

"What? There were only nine of them, and I funneled them into a choke point. Who told you thirty men?", Kaze laughed, causing Felicia to stir.

"Lady Sakura seems to have exaggerated the truth a bit.". Felicia's eyes slowly opened, and she looked towards the ninja's voice. Her eyes shot open, and she stuttered for a minute, then shouted.

"Corrin!", she cheered, and ran to his bedside, catching him in a clumsy hug.

"Oof, Felicia I'm still hurt ok, ease up.", Felicia nodded and softened her grip, a smile beaming across her face. She then realized that she had hugged her master, and let him go, slightly embarrassed.

Jakob and Azura had woken up when Felicia shouted, and Jakob bounded towards Corrin, and pushed Felicia out of the way.

"Milord you're alive! I was so worried, I don't know what I'd do without you!", Jakob placed his hand on Corrin's head, "No fever, you look better, tell me do you need anything?". He touched Corrin's hair, pulling back his hand as if he had touched something revolting. "IT'S GREASY! Felicia come with me this instant, we must get soap and water to amend this!", Jakob ran outside, and Corrin thought he saw him leap from the treehouse instead of using the ladder.

"Are you alright Felicia?", Kaze asked the fallen maid.

"Yeah I'm ok! I better go help Jakob!", Felicia ran out the door, and Corrin heard her begin climbing down the ladder, then he heard her slip and crash to the ground. "I'm ok!", he heard Felicia shout.

"How long have I been out?", Corrin asked Kaze.

"Three days. Xander, Leo, and Hinoka were so frightened that they really haven't seemed like themselves. Camilla and Ryoma are working out their emotions on the remaining forces from that battle. Sakura and Elise have remained strangely upbeat, completely certain that their older brother would wake up. Even Takumi visited. As for Azura, she's been here this entire time.".

Azura had gotten up and brushed the blanket off of her. She had been standing for a while, not saying a word, not looking at anyone.

"Azura..", Corrin said, then was silenced by Azura's palm striking his face.

"You idiot! How could you go off by yourself like that! We pair of in groups of two for a reason, how could you be so foolish!", Azura spoke rapidly, the strictness in her tone surprising Corrin and Kaze. "We need you alive Corrin, I-", Azura didn't finish the thought, as she started crying. She embraced Corrin, sobbing into his shoulder.

Corrin willed what strength he had into putting an arm around Azura. "I'm so sorry, I was arrogant and didn't want anyone else to get hurt. I won't go alone again, I promise.". Corrin held the Vallite Princess as she wept, and Kaze watched over them, a small grin forming at the edges of his lip.

Then the door swung open and Jakob and Felicia walked in. Jakob was holding a bucket full of water, and Felicia had two bottles of soap. Felicia's face looked determined and she smiled, saying "We've got bubbles!".


	3. A pink haired maid

The first few days after Corrin was wounded everyone was scared. Jakob barely slept or ate, Azura wouldn't leave his side, and Leo barely spoke to anyone save Sakura. Felicia wasn't worried. Not one bit. Felicia was thoroughly confused by this lack of emotions, surely she cares for Corrin just as much as Jakob does, so why was she calm? Shouldn't she be nervous, voice quivering with fear and hesitation like Azura? Did she not really care about Corrin?

Then it hit her. She had faith in him. She knew her master would pull through, she never doubted his survival for a moment. She had seen him on the edge of death before and been the one to personally pull him out, risking her own life in the process. She knew Corrin's limits, and was certain that his wound hadn't surpassed them. No matter how pale Corrin became, how shallow his breath, she had complete faith in him.

Maybe it was something more than that. She felt a sting when she saw how much Azura cared for him, how she never left his side, crying into his arms after he awoke. She knew how close they were but all of these events stoked a bitter flame she'd tried to keep hidden, suppressed in the back of her mind. She was jealous.

Azura's perfect grace, her beautiful voice, her magical singing, she was amazing. She was dignity personified, while Felicia was the personification of ineptitude. She was clumsy, dipsy, she forgot where she put things, and she daydreamed all the time. She was an airhead, constantly bouncing from thought to thought while desperately clawing at reality, struggling harder than anyone else to stay focused and alert. Just being by Mr. super butler highlighted how clumsy she was, and how inadequate she was. She knew that Azura was better for Corrin in every possible way then she was, but that didn't make it sting any less.

When they started this epic quest to end the war Felicia had met Lady Azura and accepted her fate, relegating herself back to being Corrin's maid. Felicia stowed away those wistful thoughts and daydreams, trying to bring herself back to reality and acceptance. Azura loved Corrin, and she thought he loved her back. They were pretty sweet together, the Hoshidan prince and Nohrian princess, brought together by fate's design. It was almost romantic.

Over the months that the war had progressed something changed. During everyday things Felicia was hopeless, but on the battlefield she was something else. She didn't know exactly why but she felt much more alive on the battlefield, like a completely different person, a super Felicia! No longer was she a clumsy inept maid, but a completely aware warrior, able to keep tabs on dozens of situations at once. She could see the enemies movement and combat them with her ice magic, dispatching them with concise strikes while simultaneously being aware of any ally who needed healing. She had complete control of the battlefield, outperforming most members of the army. She'd even received compliments from Corrin on her skill!

She wasn't sure if it was simply her imagination, but Corrin and her seemed to get closer with each battle. They started hanging out together more, they would speak for hours about simple things, and those feelings she'd try to suppress returned with torrential force.

She wanted to be near him, to hear him talk about his day, to listen to his sweet voice tell those long stories about his family. She loved how he fought for peace, was quick to forgive his enemies and tried to be a councilatary force in this war torn world. She loved how brave he was, how he backed up his words with actions, never fearing to act on his ideals. She wanted to be by his side forever, not as his maid but as something more.

That would never happen, all those dreams were simply that, dreams. Corrin could never fall in love with her. He had Azura, someone perfect and beautiful and better than her in every single way. She would have to watch Corrin marry that elegant princess and smile the whole way through.

Yes, she would have to smile… wait, why was she crying? She began sobbing, and curled up in the corner, thankful that this room was empty. Bitter remorseful tears burned her cheeks and she sobbed and sobbed, unable to hold it back anymore.

Someone entered the room and she ignored them, praying that they'd leave her alone. Corrin hurried over to her and lifted her to a sitting position, his eyes filled with worry. He had bandages covering his chest but was moving again, having just come back from eating lunch with Kaze.

The maid looked surprised, and avoided his eyes like they were the sun, quietly muttering "I'm sorry.". Corrin opened his mouth to speak and in a moment of madness Felicia moved her head forward, catching the white haired prince in a kiss.

…

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hi and thank you for reading this! I'll probably have two more chapters before this is finished, so it'll be a five chapter book. Probably. What did you think of this chapter? I told you it'd be a love triangle, though doing this to Felicia almost feels painful.**

 **Anyways I wrote this note to explain my version of Felicia in this series. In the games Felicia is constantly referred to as an abysmal maid, but a fantastic warrior, even getting a married ending where she hangs up the apron and becomes a general!This massive disparity between excellent warrior and clumsy maid reminded me of my own struggles with A.D.D., how during daily monotonous tasks my attention would fade but during athletic events I felt great, more alive than I did during any other time. Felicia's actions jive well with how I understand my A.D.D., so I tried to portray her with it, including all of the inadequacy I feel after messing up simple tasks. Hopefully I didn't stray too far from her character, but you'll never learn to run without slipping a few times.**

 **Also if the reference to Felicia saving Corrin's life went over your head, it's from their b support. Felicia and Corrin reminisce about when he was younger and got dreadfully sick, getting a terrible fever. No medicine would help him, and his odds seemed grim. Then Felicia began using her ice powers to pull the heat from his body, absorbing it into herself. This was very dangerous, Corrin ever claims that she could have died from it. She didn't and saved Corrin's life, firmly cementing her position as the best maid.**

 **If you have anything at all to say about this chapter write a review, I read them all. Any feedback, criticism, or ideas is more than welcome. Typically I leave my stories unfinished, but having people follow me and read this is strange, it gives me something to write for. It's pretty nice. Once again thank you for reading this, I should finish up this story within the next couple weeks, though I may finish it sooner.**


	4. A blue haired songstress

Azura had that dream again. She was tiny, helpless. Her mother was laughing, standing next to a man that looked so familiar. She wanted to see them again, she wanted to see both of them so badly it broke her heart. She wanted to scream her mother's name, warn her of what was to come. She opened her mouth but no words came out, her mother and father stood away from her, King and Queen, then she heard the roar. The roar shook the castle, it felt primordial, apocalyptic.

Her mother appeared suddenly by her, and they ran, away from all of the horrible screeching, all of the fires and devastation, they ran from it all. She looked next to her, but her mother wasn't there anymore. Azura was big now, like her mother, but all alone. She felt chains wrap around her neck, one of darkness and one of light, and they threatened to strangle her. Behind her she felt a dragon's cold breath, that monster watching her suffer with glee, the puppet master behind the two chains.

She looked up and saw a white dragon. He was bound by the same chains, but shook and roared until they snapped off. Bright light engulfed him, and he became a white haired boy. He picked up the chains, carrying them with him instead of being bound by them, and walked over to Azura. She felt the dragon's breath recede, he was afraid of this boy. The boy extended his hand to her, and she took it, breaking her chains.

…

Azura woke up in a sweat. As always she couldn't remember her dream, but lately it had lost that petrifying edge it used to have. She remembered waking up as if she was strangled, gasping for breath, but she hadn't woken like that in quite some time.

She washed herself, then began combing her hair. Bright sunlight poured into her window, it was late morning. She had overslept. The others would be doing their chores, while she had nothing assigned today. She took her time combing her hair. Her hair was massively long, she couldn't remember if she had ever cut it. It was very heavy, and Sakura had once asked why she didn't cut it. She remembered brushing her off, not telling Sakura that it made her feel safer. It gave her a sense of control, and a sense of protection, a consistent veil that protected her from the world. Of course that sounded crazy out loud, so she didn't tell Sakura that.

Azura got dressed, making sure her appearance was in perfect order, then headed outside. It was lunchtime, and she went into the dining hall and waited in line, picking up some Nohrian beef and noodles. She saw Corrin and Kaze eating together, and moved to join them, then they departed from the dining hall, having finished their meal. They hadn't noticed her, but that was ok. She saw Hinoka and Xander eating together, while Charlotte sat at a table with a few guys, trying to impress them with her meals. Takumi and Oboro sat away from any Nohrians, and Hinata sat with them, saying things that made Oboro smile and Takumi grimace.

Azura realized that no one had noticed her and took a seat by herself in the corner of the dining hall. She wasn't shy, it was just hard to approach people she wasn't that familiar with. She sat silently in the corner, eating quietly, and hoping vainly that Sakura or Corrin would enter the dining hall. They didn't and she packed away her bowl, bringing it to the dish disposal counter, and left the dining hall.

Corrin was the opposite of herself. He had no problem speaking to anyone new or unfamiliar, he'd be his true self to anyone he came across. Azura felt like she was constantly on guard, wary that people would trick and lie to her. She didn't trust people, and her scars were a constant reminder of why. Only a few people made her feel completely at ease, and Corrin was one of them. Sakura was another, and she saw the small redhead sitting at a table outside with Leo. They were playing some Nohrian game, Corrin had called it chess. Sakura couldn't make eye contact with Leo, and her poor face was completely red. Leo's face was completely focused on the game, but whenever Sakura did meet his eyes for a moment his cheeks had the faintest hints of a blush. Azura smiled and decided to leave those two alone.

She'd go find Corrin, he was still recovering from his wound so he also had the day off. She had an idea to match his piano playing with her singing, and see how it would sound. She'd actually been thinking about this for a while, but with the war going on they hadn't had a break in some time.

She began to head towards Corrin's treehouse, but on the way she heard sobbing. She turned and headed into a hallway, following the sobbing into the barracks. It sounded like Felicia, poor girl was always broken up over something. She headed towards the sound, and saw Corrin ahead of her. He darted into a room, towards Felicia. Azura followed him and peered her head into the room, only to catch Felicia and Corrin kissing.

She felt like all of the air had been ripped from her lungs. A thousand emotions at once exploded inside of her, and she had to leave. She ran as quietly as she could outside the hallway, and raced through the courtyard, hoping her speed hid her current state. She ran into the hunting forest and stood in the shade of a tree, then she started crying. Ah gods it was terrible, ugly tears that she couldn't control. She cried hideously and loudly, far away from anyone who could hear her.

Why did she feel this way, so hurt, so betrayed? It's not like her and Corrin were dating or anything, he had the complete freedom to be with anyone he wanted. He didn't owe her anything, she had no claim on him. She'd never told him how she felt, and he'd never said anything to give her false hope. This was all her fault for saying nothing, though confronting Corrin about that terrified her. That's why she had stayed silent for so long, hoping that he would one day confess to her, or give her a sign to know that her feelings weren't one sided.

She'd thought she knew pain, she thought she knew anguish, but this heartbreak now was terrible, a horrible aching that made her feel completely guilty for feeling this way. She was selfish and deluded, thinking that Corrin could love her. She was a troublesome princess, heir to a throne that no longer existed, an insufferable and hard to talk to girl. She was lucky that he could even stand her presence, she had so many faults. Of course he would fall for his childhood friend, that quirky and affable maid. She was pretty and hardworking, friendly to a fault, and she'd known Corrin for ages. How could she even compare?

She heard soft footsteps approach her and she tried to hide, but her sobs gave her away.

"Azura?", a small voice said. Azura looked up and saw Sakura, though she was blurred from Azura's tears.

"I'm fine, it's nothing.", Azura tried to compose herself, but broke into another harsh sob, causing Sakura to go over to Azura. Sakura wrapped her arms around Azura and Azura cried, silently thankful for the little redhead's company.

...

 **Author's note:**

 **Ok it might go on a bit longer than 5 chapters. This chapter was originally going to be about Corrin, but I felt like I haven't written much about Azura yet. I've been watching Azura's new Warriors supports, and I like the picture they give her. She feels more complete, and I'm noticing things that weren't clear in Fates, like how Azura ate lunch by herself, or how she has trouble speaking to most people. Most introverts have a lot of trouble with social situations, often blaming themselves for small things. When Azura thought she saw Corrin voluntarily kiss Felicia, she became mad at herself for her crush, instead of angry with Corrin. I think Azura would blame herself before others, though I may be overestimating my understanding of her character.**

 **Also if you didn't understand the scar reference, well Azura didn't have a happy childhood. After her mother died she was subject to the Nohrian court, and people despised her. She retained multiple scars from that period, both physical and mental, until she was kidnapped to Hoshido. Where Corrin was trapped by location, Azura was trapped by social standing, her position as Arete's daughter causing her nothing but grief in Nohr, and her position as a Nohrian princess in Hoshido causing her to be disliked and mistrusted in Hoshido.**


	5. A Dragon's Choice

Corrin had seen time freeze once before. It was during that day his families raised their blades against each other, and demanded to know his side. On that day it didn't take long for him to decide, his choice made no logical sense but it was what his heart wanted. Now, he didn't see an answer. Felicia's lips were pressed against his, and he didn't know what to do, or what he wanted to do.

"Felicia!", Corrin said, too surprised to comprehend what just happened, or the sea of confusing emotions that swelled inside of him. Felicia frowned and looked away, having pulled herself from the kiss. She looked incredibly guilty, yet the slightest of grins was on her face, as if she had stolen a fine sweet.

"I'm so sorry milord, I tried not to but I couldn't stop myself! I've tried so hard to suppress these feelings, but I messed that up.", Felicia's slight grin quickly faded and her face was riddled with shame and regret. "Gods I'm so sorry milord!", She looked panicked, as if the walls were caving in on her.

"Felicia what are you saying?", Corrin's mind had halted to a near stop, he couldn't think, he couldn't process what was happening. Was Felicia, does she?

"Are you gonna make me spell it out for you?", Felicia's eyes were anywhere but on Corrin, and she spoke softly. Corrin stared at her, unable to form any words.

"I-I, I'm in love with you milord!", Corrin nearly fainted. Felicia, one of his closest friends, someone he knew better than most of his siblings, she was in love with him. He suddenly remembered on that day he chose against both families, how Felicia didn't return to Nohr or abandon him, but stuck with him against the world. Was that because of her feelings, had she loved him back then?

"Since when!?", he said, beginning to wonder how long she had felt this way, and how he could have been so blind.

"For years milord, since before you got sick, that's one of the reasons I risked my life for you, I'm not really that selfless. I know it's not proper for a maid to fall in love with her lord, and I'm so sorry!". Felicia twiddled her thumbs and continued, "Now that I've come this far, I have to know, do you feel the same?". Felicia looked at Corrin, looking more vulnerable than Corrin had ever seen her.

Felicia loved him. Felicia was amazing, hardworking and loyal. She had followed Corrin to hell and back, he could rely on her in the worst of situations and have her always follow through. She was beautiful, friendly, and caring, Corrin would be lucky to have a wife as wonderful as her. Corrin could imagine their life together, it would be full of happiness and laughter, built iron tight by their time tested bonds. He put his hands on Felicia's shoulders, and looked her in the eyes. He would accept her confession, and begin a new life with her.

"I love Azura.".

Corrin hadn't meant to say that, but it was true, wasn't it? No matter how he cared for Felicia, no matter how close they were, he didn't love her. In this moment he wished for nothing more than to love her as she loved him, to accept her and make her as happy as possible. But that wasn't realistic, was it?

The person he cared about more than anyone else, the person he found his mind lingering on, was Azura. He found his mood instantly brighten when he saw her face, and he wanted to do everything for her. Where Felicia had followed him into war out of love, he'd done the same for Azura. He'd fought three armies for her, he'd strike down Anankos and give her back her kingdom. He'd do anything to see her smile, to hold her close to him.

He felt tears warm his cheek. Why was he the one crying? Felicia looked devastated, and was looking everywhere but Corrin.

"Felicia I'm so sorry.", Corrin said.

"No, it's fine milord, I-I should be the one apologizing, I gotta go somewhere else now!", Felicia stood up and ran out of the room, covering her face with her hands.

Corrin sat on the floor for a moment, reeling from the sudden revelations. He loved Azura. Felicia loved him. Sakura probably loved Leo. It was a whole mess. How did he not know that he loved her, how did he not realize it sooner! All these months of war, all this time spent together, how could he be so blind to his own feelings! It had taken Felicia's confession for him to discover them, poor Felicia. He felt terrible for Felicia, but if he missed her true feelings, then was it possible that he had missed another's?

He ran outside, into the courtyard and scanned the grounds for her. Leo was cleaning his chess pieces with a rag, looking quite dejected, and Sakura was walking a blue haired songstress to her room. Corrin ran after them, and entered Azura's room.

"Azura!", he called and she looked at him, her eyes were slightly puffy and red, like she'd been crying. His plans of a dramatic speech detailing how much he loved her, how she meant everything to him, faded in an instant. He walked up to her and pulled her into a deep kiss, moving his arms to support her back. She stiffened for a moment but then returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around Corrin's back.

Sakura stood behind them, face redder than a tomato. "Oh my goodness!", she said, holding her hands over her mouth.

Corrin pulled himself away for a moment and looked into Azura's yellow eyes, still holding her tight.

"I love you Azura!".

Azura's eyes widened, then a massive smile formed on her lips.

"I love you Corrin!", then the stoic songstress pulled the white haired prince into a kiss.

...

 **Author's note:**

 **Hello everyone, thanks for reading this! I'll post another chapter as an epilogue, though it may stretch into two chapters.**

 **What did you think of the outcome? Would you rather have Felicia become Corrin's wife, or are you happy with Azura? They're both great pairings, and that's exactly why I made this story, I wanted to explore what would happen if love wasn't a fated destined event, but a cruel anomaly, hopefully striking you and your crush but sometimes leaving us with unrequited love. So many stories on this site show pairings as very one sided, as if everyone thinks they should be together yet awkwardness holds them back. I believe it's more interesting when love itself becomes the puppet master of the story, taking rational control from the characters. You can't control who you fall in love with, and it's impossible to bottle those feelings up forever, especially when you're close with your crush.**

 **I'll probably write a few more stories, and I may branch into Awakening characters. There's a lot of opportunities for love triangles and tragic situations there, and those two things are fun to write about.**

 **Once again, thanks for reading this! If you have any complaints or misgivings about how the story was written or portrayed write a review, I'd love constructive criticism. Or if you have a suggestion for future stories, I can't promise anything but right now I'm a little blank on ideas.**

 **Side note: Felicia's confession had bits of her s support in it, because I liked how that flowed.**


	6. A Shy Flirt

Felicia was despondent. It had been a week since Corrin and Azura got together, and most of the camp was celebrating. She was having a tough time. She wanted to talk to someone about it, vent and cry until she could heal, but her best friend was the one she'd fallen in love with. She could talk to Jakob, but he would chastise her for feeling this way, and she'd probably feel worse talking with him than bottling it in. So everyday Felicia climbed the castle walls around lunchtime and stared into the distance, just thinking about things.

 _Flora, how I wish you were here,_ Felicia thought. Her sister would understand and listen, heh, she'd probably understand better than anyone else. Felicia smiled, at least she had told Corrin her feelings. She didn't think Flora would ever tell Jakob hers. Felicia had tried to prod her towards doing so, but Flora could be stubborn as a mull when she wanted to.

She could hear sounds of fighting in the courtyard, and turned around. Odin and Laslow were sparring with swords, each moving more fluidly than any sword style Felicia had ever seen. _I didn't think Odin could use a sword,_ Felicia thought.

Eventually Odin got the upper hand and began to push back Laslow. Felicia watched as the dark mage leveled blow after blow more gracefully than any swordmaster she'd ever seen, driving Laslow back. Laslow stumbled back, almost dropping his sword but catching it by the tip. Odin moved in with a lunge, bringing the dull practice blade to Laslow's armored chest, but then he looked panicked. Laslow ducked and swung the sword by the tip, smashing the metal guard into Odin's legs. Odin collapsed on the ground and Laslow pointed his blade at Odin's throat. Then he smiled and held out his hand.

Odin began laughing and grabbed Laslow's hand, standing up and bouncing around, loudly speaking to Laslow. Felicia couldn't make out what he was saying, but he sounded excited. Laslow smiled and spoke with Odin, then he looked up and caught Felicia's eyes.

His eyes widened and then narrowed, and Felicia ducked down. It wasn't that she wasn't allowed to be up here, it was more that it was very weird for someone to be up here alone. She had to think of a cover story, she was here to clean the roof! She's on a walkway, there's no roof! Hmm maybe she's here to sweep the walkway? That sounds pretty good, maybe even believable, but wait. She didn't have a broom! Ahh! She heard footsteps coming up the stone stairwell.

"Felicia,", the mercenary's voice called, "Are you up there?". Felicia had to hide, she had to do something! She looked around but there was nothing up here, she had been using the stone railing as a seat. Laslow climbed up the entryway, having to use a small ladder to get here. He hung on the final rung and looked around, finding Felicia.

"Ahh, there you are! I was worried that I had started to hallucinate about beautiful women.". He climbed up and stood on the walkway, then he smiled at Felicia. "Though I must admit that that wouldn't be the worst affliction in the world. Now what are you doing up here love? Unless I've spent longer in the courtyard than I thought, it should be lunchtime.".

"I've uhm, I've been eating up here for a while. Not for any weird reason, it's just _really_ pretty.", Felicia said, hoping he'd buy it. Laslow walked over to the stone railing and stared into the wilderness beyond, admiring the view. "It is quite beautiful, though I suspect that's not the only reason you're lingering here. In fact you look absolutely dreary, what's bothering you love?".

"I didn't know Odin could use a sword!", Felicia blurted out, trying to change the subject. Laslow looked surprised, then he smiled and closed his eyes, and his cheeks turned red. "You saw that, did you now? Well yes he can, but it's a bit of a secret, and I'd really appreciate it if you kept that quiet. Odin's quite proud of his image as a dark mage, and he's afraid that if others knew about his sword mastery, it'd ruin his reputation.", Laslow said, not being completely truthful.

"He's a swordmaster!", Felicia said, wondering why someone with years of training in one style of fighting would forsake it for another.

"Why yes he is, but again please keep this hush hush now.", Laslow was sweating, he could feel their years of careful work being undermined by a careless duel.

"Ok, I promise I won't. Bye now.", Felicia said, and began heading towards the ladder. "Hold it right there, you were trying to distract me!", Laslow said, then smiled. "I'll have to keep my eye on you, you're more cunning than I thought.".

Felicia's face burned bright red, and she thought about making a run for it. She wasn't that coordinated though, and her countless bruises accrued from childhood around stairs and ladders caused her to reconsider that plan.

"Now dear, would you please tell me what's bothering you? I'm sure I can help put a smile on that pretty face!". Laslow said.

"Fine! I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh. Or tell anyone else.", Felicia said.

"As long as you won't talk about Odin we have a deal.", Laslow said.

"Alright.", Felicia breathed in and closed her eyes, trying to find the courage to speak about this. "I fell in love with someone, but he chose someone else. That's all, I've just been sulking here, ok.".

"I'm sure it's not that hopeless dear. Perhaps you simply misunderstood something. Was it Jakob, I always see the two of you by each other, or maybe Kaze, he's quite a handsome man.", Laslow smiled, knowing that most of the men in camp were single. Except Corrin. Laslow's smile faded, and he remembered not seeing Felicia at lunch the past week. Ever since Corrin and Azura had announced their engagement.

"Oh my poor girl, was it Corrin?". Laslow said.

"I told you not to laugh, that includes making fun of me.", Felicia was looking at the ground, trying to push away the rest of the world.

"I would never, here.", Laslow pulled Felicia into a hug, and held the maid tight.

"I'm so sorry love.", Laslow said.

"No it's fine, I'm fine,", Felicia's eyes started watering, she'd felt alone for so long, both before and after her confession, and she began to loudly sob on Laslow's shoulder.

"There there love, let it all out. It's ok.". Laslow said.

"H-he probably hates me now, ugh why did I have to confess! He was my best friend, and now we can barely look at each other!", Felicia said this in between sobs.

"Of course he doesn't hate you. I've met Corrin and seen how he cares about all of his friends, and that includes you love. It'll all be fine, just give it time and you and Corrin will be the best of friends again, and you'll have put this whole horrid ordeal behind you.". Laslow said.

"It just hurts so much Laslow.", Felicia said.

"I know dear, heartbreak is never easy to overcome, but it will get better. You may not believe this, but I've had my heart broken a few times in my life.". Laslow said.

"Don't you get rejected by every girl you talk to?", Felicia said.

Laslow placed his hand over his eyes, "Oh love why must you hurt me so, I think I'm going to start crying now!".

Felicia started giggling and Laslow smiled. "There you go dear, that's the way!".

Felicia kept giggling and felt better, and began laughing. She laughed and laughed, feeling better than she had in weeks. She felt hopeful, like she could glimpse the light at the end of this pain, finally seeing a way through it. It wouldn't be instantaneous, nor would it be easy, but she would get through this.

"That's brilliant love! As long as you can smile, you'll survive anything. Now how about we celebrate with a cup of tea, I know just the place!".

...

 **Author's Note:**

 **Hello! Thanks for reading this far into the story. Now the story officially ends at chapter 5 with the love triangle being resolved, but it left Felicia at a pretty bad note. That's why the first of the final two chapters was about Felicia, to help wrap up her story.**

 **Also I simply love Laslow. He's an amazing character, and I married Olivia in awakening, so there's that as well.**

 **There's going to be one more chapter, and it'll be set after the war ends.**

 **Anyways thanks for reading this, and I'll have the final chapter out within a week, probably.**


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